90s bitch : media, culture, and the failed promise of gender equality

To understand how we got here, we have to rewind the VHS tape. 90s Bitch tells the real story of women and girls in the 1990s, exploring how they were maligned by the media, vilified by popular culture, and objectified in the marketplace. Trailblazing women like Hillary Clinton, Anita Hill, Marcia Clark, and Roseanne Barr were undermined. Newsmakers like Monica Lewinsky, Tonya Harding, and Lorena Bobbitt were shamed and misunderstood. The advent of the 24-hour news cycle reinforced society's deeply entrenched sexism. Meanwhile, marketers hijacked feminism and poisoned girlhood for a generation of young women. Today, there are echoes of 90s "bitchification" nearly everywhere we look. To understand why, we must revisit and interrogate the 1990s'a decade in which female empowerment was twisted into objectification, exploitation, and subjugation. Yarrow's thoughtful, juicy, and timely examination is a must-read for anyone trying to understand 21st century sexism and end it for the next generation. " Allison Yarrow takes you back to the era of Anita Hill and Monica Lewinsky and Tonya Harding and examines how the media fueled America's sexism."— Bustle To understand how we got here, we have to rewind the VHS tape. 90s Bitch tells the real story of women and girls in the 1990s, exploring how they were maligned by the media, vilified by popular culture, and objectified in the marketplace. Trailblazing women like Hillary Clinton, Anita Hill, Madeleine Albright, Janet Reno, and Marcia Clark were undermined. Newsmakers like Britney Spears, Monica Lewinsky, Tonya Harding and Lorena Bobbitt were shamed and misunderstood. The advent of the twenty-four-hour news cycle reinforced society's deeply entrenched misogyny. Meanwhile, marketers hijacked feminism, sold "Girl Power," and poisoned a generation. Today echoes of 90s "bitchification" still exist everywhere. To understand why, we must revisit and interrogate the 1990s—a decade in which empowerment was twisted into objectification, exploitation, and subjugation. Award–winning journalist Allison Yarrow's timely examination is a must-read for anyone trying to understand twenty-first century sexism and end it for the next generation. "Yarrow's biting autopsy of the decade scrutinizes the way society reduced—or "bitchified"—women . . . Direct quotes from politicians, journalists and comedians about the women provide the most jarring, oh-my-god-that-really-happened portions of Yarrow's decade excavation." — Pittsburg Post-Gazette "Allison Yarrow is a feminist and a muckraker in the tradition of Betty Friedan, Naomi Klein, and bell hooks." —Steve Almond, author of Bad Stories: What the Hell Just Happened to Our Country "Yarrow is a skillful scene setter." — The Los Angeles Review of Books "'Essential reading for every feminist." Anne Helen Petersen, author of Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud Finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club Book Award, muse to a Givenchy fashion collection, and recommended by the The New York Times, The Skimm, US Weekly, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Refinery 29, Book Riot, Bitch Media, and more. "Yarrow’s biting autopsy of the decade scrutinizes the way society reduced — or “bitchified” — women at work, women at home, women in court, even women on ice skates . . . Direct quotes from politicians, journalists and comedians about the women provide the most jarring, oh-my-god-that-really-happened portions of Yarrow’s decade excavation." — Pittsburg Post-Gazette The nostalgic, smart, and shocking account of how the 90s set back feminism, undermined girls and women, and shaped the millennial generation from award-winning journalist, Allison Yarrow. To understand how we got here, we have to rewind the VHS tape. 90s Bitch tells the real story of women and girls in the 1990s, exploring how they were maligned by the media, vilified by popular culture, and objectified in the marketplace. Trailblazing women like Hillary Clinton, Anita Hill, Madeleine Albright, Janet Reno, and Marcia Clark, and were undermined. Newsmakers like Britney Spears, Monica Lewinsky, Tonya Harding and Lorena Bobbitt were shamed and misunderstood. The advent of the 24-hour news cycle reinforced society's deeply entrenched misogyny. Meanwhile, marketers hijacked feminism, sold “Girl Power,” and poisoned a generation. Today echoes of 90s “bitchification” still exist everywhere we look. To understand why, we must revisit and interrogate the 1990s—a decade in which empowerment was twisted into objectification, exploitation, and subjugation. Yarrow’s thoughtful, juicy, and timely examination is a must-read for anyone trying to understand 21st century sexism and end it for the next generation. The close of the 20th century promised a new era of gender equality. However, the iconic women of the 1990ssuch as Hillary Clinton, Courtney Love, Roseanne Barr, Marcia Clark, and Anita Hillearned their places in history not as trailblazers, but as whipping girls of the media. During this decade, American society grew increasingly hostile to women who dared to speak up, challenge power, or defy rigid expectations for female behavior. Deeply researched yet thoroughly engaging, 90s Bitch untangles the complex history of women in the 1990s, exploring how they were maligned by the media, vilified by popular culture, and objectified in the marketplace. In an age where even a presidential nominee can be derided as a nasty woman, its clear that the epidemic of casting women as bitches persists. To understand why we must take a long, hard look back at the 1990sa decade in which female empowerment was twisted into bitchification and exploitation. Yarrows thoughtful, clear-eyed, and timely examination is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand gender politics and how we might end the bitch epidemic for the next generation. This deeply researched book untangles the complex history of women in the 1990s, exploring how they were maligned by the media, vilified by popular culture, and objectified in the marketplace. In an age where even a presidential nominee can be derided as a "nasty woman," it's clear that the epidemic of casting women as bitches persists. To understand why we must take a long, hard look back at the 1990s--a decade in which female empowerment was twisted into bitchification and exploitation Title Page Dedication Contents Prologue Introduction 1: Pretty on the Outside 2: Sex in the 90s 3: The Goldilocks Conundrum 4: Women Who Worked 5: Bad Mom 6: First Bitch 7: Female Anger 8: Manly 9: Damaged Goods 10: Victims and Violence 11: Catfight 12: The Girl Power Myth Epilogue Acknowledgments Endnotes Index About the Author Copyright About the Publisher Explores How Media And Popular Culture Maligned And Objectified Women And Girls In The 1990s, And How The Sexism Of The 1990s Affected The Sexism Of The Twenty-first Century. Allison Yarrow. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 313-374) And Index. Explores how media and popular culture maligned and objectified women and girls in the 1990s, and how the sexism of the 1990s led to the sexism of the twenty-first century